Day Two John Wall Holiday Standouts (Part Three)

Now that The John Wall Holiday Invitational is all wrapped up, we have some time to catch up on our notes and bring the top performers to the people. It was such a special week at Broughton High School in the heart of downtown Raleigh. The community comes together, the stars shine, and the environment is unlike anything you've ever seen in High School basketball. Let's take a look at this next group of day two standouts!    [player_tooltip player_id='1280933' first='Kobe' last='Edwards'] played one of the best games of his life in the semi-finals Vs Highland School. The Elon signee finished with 28 Points, 5 Assists, 4 Rebounds, and 2 Steals + the game winner of a lifetime, the pull up three heard around the world. Edwards controlled the entirety of this game and had to call his own number at the right times. He was able to get in a rhythm with the jump shot early, connecting on 4-7 from deep. He finished 12-20 from the floor and was a constant scoring threat from all areas of the floor. In a back and forth war with one of the most talented teams on the east coast, Edwards simply found a way to make the right plays at the right times. He was truly the best version of himself, and that is a really special player. His ability to captivate a crowd with his play and emotional leadership is truly something special.     What makes this Greenfield team so special is that they have so many options alongside of Edwards who are capable of swinging a game with their production in their own way. In the semis, that guy was [player_tooltip player_id='2773269' first='Johnny' last='Winborne']. The junior was able to knock down 4-7 from beyond the arc in the win, making clutch and timely shots in massive moments with zero fear. Winborne is shot ready off the catch at all times, has great instincts at both ends of the floor, and has the handle to keep the defense honest when closing out. Some games he might be quiet, some nights he's one of the loudest in the gym, and on this night his game screamed. Huge shots from Winborne kept Greenfield in the mix and gave Edwards the opportunity to hit the shot of his life and give Greenfield a berth in the championship game.     [player_tooltip player_id='2847084' first='Blake' last='Fitzgerald'] has made the move over to Highland School to play for Coach Logan Miller and he's become an immediate contributor for the Hawks in their front-court. He's a very capable and versatile piece that has an inside/out skillset, a great activity level, and still a ton of room to refine his game. Fitzgerald finished with 10 Points and 5 Rebounds in the close loss, including an efficient 4-7 from the floor. He can hit the mid range jumper off the catch or bounce, has some quality low post moves in his bag, and is readily available for dump offs around the rim. He's capable of playing above the rim, showing real explosion when jumping off of two feet. He's adjusted to his new school well, and should be a 2028 F in Virginia to watch closely.     One of the strongest big men to come through North Carolina in a long time, [player_tooltip player_id='2743619' first='Xavier' last='Hall'] went into the matchup with Southeastern Prep and simply looked the part against one of the most talented teams in America. Hall is true throwback, a bruiser, soft hands, does all of his work around the rim, and a truly physically imposing rebounder on both backboards. Hall finished with 14 Points and 5 Rebounds while going 5-9 from the floor in the loss. 4 of those 5 rebounds were on the offensive end, where he uses his super strong frame to carve out space amongst the trees. Hall is continuing to get more and more high level experience, he's passed all of the tests so far and should continue to establish himself as one of the top bigs in 2028 nationally.     It is super obvious upon viewing Beckham Black as to why he's widely considered the top PG in the 2027 class nationally. A supremely gifted playmaker that frankly operates on a completely different wavelength to everybody else on the floor. His mind is his greatest asset, add in the physical gifts, skillset, and competitive fire, it's incredibly clear that this is in fact the best point guard prospect nationally in 2027. Black helped Southeastern Prep coast to a win over a very talented Davidson Day team. He finished with 14 Points, 6 Assists, and 2 Rebounds, all on 5-6 from the floor. Efficient, fun, and effective, Black has the whole package as a PG, and it was on display in Southeastern Prep's opening round win over Davidson Day.

Now that The John Wall Holiday Invitational is all wrapped up, we have some time to catch up on our notes and bring the top performers to the people. It was such a special week at Broughton High School in the heart of downtown Raleigh. The community comes together, the stars shine, and the environment is unlike anything you've ever seen in High School basketball. Let's take a look at this next group of day two standouts!